Packing or shipping box.



E. C. POTTER;

PACKING 0R SHIPPING 130x.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-19. I914.

7 mg I EARL C. POTTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE SEFTON MANUFACTURINM COMPANY, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, A

COIEtIE'ORA'IIONv OF INDIANA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. It, I915.

Application filed September 119, 1914. Serial No. 862,580.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL C. POTTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Packing or Shipping Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to packing or shipping boxes of the collapsible or knock-down type and preferably made of double-faced corrugated paper board.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive construction of box provided with eilicient means whereby the same may be easily handled and may more over be caused to always be placed or remain in an upright position.

My box is primarily intended for the shipment of eggs for which particular use the objects referred to are particularly desirable but it will be understood that I contemplate using my box wherever applicable.

My box is characterized by a top closure including a cover flap or flaps having extension flaps extending upwardly through a slot formed by other cover flaps foldable upon the first-mentioned flaps. These extension flaps are provided with hand holes to form handles for the convenient and safe handling of the box. Owing to the provision of the handle the box is not only properly and safely handled but the upright position of the box is assured practically at all times, and moreover the projecting of the handles prevents other packages or boxes from being placed on top thereof. With regard to the maintaining of the box in upright position when used as an egg box it is well known that in the shipment of eggs which are of course packed in up-and-down position, that is with their longer axes vertical, the box should be always kept in upright position.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective of my box in complete and closed position; Fig. 2 a plan view thereof showing some of the top closure flaps in open condition and others in closed condition and Fig. 3 a central vertical section of the box.

Referring to the particular embodiment of my invention as shown in the drawing, the box, which may be of any suitable dimensions and made of any suitable material, preferably of double faced corrugated paper board, comprises four side walls 1 hinged to- -1 serve as a handle.

gether, the free ends of the outermost walls belng hugged by means of the tape 2 when such side walls are formed from a single blank which is the desirable method. The box has top and bottom closures, the top closure containing the novel features embodied in my invention. The top closure comprlses two similar cover flaps 3 which together form a closure inasmuch as they abut each other, in the present instance in the central line of the box. Each of these cover flaps is provided with an extension flap 4, although if desired only one of them may be so provided. Each extension flap has a hand hole 4*, the hand holes registering with each other whereby the extension flaps when brought together as seen in Fig. The two cover flaps 3 are hinged to the upper edges of two opposite side walls and when folded inwardly form the innermost top closure. The top closure also comprises the outermost closure which includes, in the present instance, two pairs of similar cover flaps 5 hinged to the other two opposite side walls. The members of each pair of flaps 5 are separated by a slot 6 with the result that a transverse slot is formed when these flaps are folded inwardly. The. purpose of this slot is to accommodate the extension flaps 4 and permit the same to extend upwardly above the top plane of the box.

The members of each pair of flaps 5 may be considered independent flaps or may be considered as a single flap provided with a transverse slot 6. Moreover, these flaps need notnecessarily meet or abut at the central line of the box and as a matter of fact a single flap or one pair of flaps hinged to one side wallmay be employed instead of the flaps on opposite side walls. The structure shown is preferred as it economizes lbpaterial in cutting out the blank for the It will be understood that the particular formatlon or structure of the bottom closure is immaterial. In the present instance the same comprises pairs of flaps 7 and 8 folded inwardly to form a double thickness of bottom. These flaps are substantially the same as the flaps 3 and 5 excepting that there are no extension flaps a and no slots 6.

The box being constructed as above described and the contents having been introduced therein the cover flaps 3 are first folded inwardly and the extension flaps 4: are folded at right angles thereto so as to occupy a vertical position in juxtaposition to each other. The pairs of flaps 5 are then folded over upon the flaps 3. lhe flaps 5 can be held downwardly so as to lock the box, by any desirable means. For the purpose of both locking and sealing the box as desired by express companies I employ the tapes or strips 9 pasted or glued over the meeting free ends or edges of the flaps 5 and also extending down the side walls 1 as shown in Fig. 1. However, these flaps 5 may be held in position by merely tying cord or .tape around the box the same passing through the hand holes 4*. lhis method is suflicient when the box is shipped by parcels post. In Fig. 2 the righthand flap 3 is shown folded over and down to closure position with its flap 4 extending upward vertically. The other cover flap 3 is shown in its open position and ready to be folded in the same manner as its companion flap. Also all of the flaps 5 are shown in open osition with the exception of the upper rig t-hand one which is shown folded over and down upon the right-hand flap 3. The eggs A are shown contained in separate boxes B although if desired the eggs may be packed in the usual eg -trays or .fillers in general use.

It is evident that the handles provide not only for proper and convenient handling of the box but assure its upright position. Moreover, in the packing of the boxes during transportation, the box would be placed on top of other boxes or packages instead of having the same piled on this box. If, however, any heavy article was placed on top of the box it is strong enough to resist ordinary weights or strains and the handles 4 would have a tendency to yield somewhat when presented sidewise. Furthermore, by the use of my invention I am enabled to make the handles of the same material as the box structure and preferably of the same blank, thereby providing a simple and comparatively inexpensive construction and dispensing with separate handles and fastening devices.

I claim:

1. A folding shipping box comprising sidewalls hinged together and top and bottom closures, the former including a coverflap hinged to one side wall and provided with an extension flap hinged thereto and serving as a handle, and another cover flap hinged to another one of the side walls and having a slot adjacent the hinged line of said extension flap and through which the extension flap passes.

2. A folding shipping box comprising side walls hinged together and top and bottom closures, the former including a cover flap hinged to one side wall and provided with mergers an extension flap hinged thereto and serving as a handle, and flaps hinged to two opposite side walls and having central slots adjacent the hinged line of said extension flap and through which said extension flap pro ects.

3. A folding shipping box comprising side walls and top and bottom closures, the former including a cover flap hinged to one side Wall and provided with an extension flap hinged thereto and serving as a handle, and flaps hinged to two opposite side walls and abutting at their free edges to form a cover, each of said flaps having a central slot adjacent the hinged line of said extension flap and through which the extension flap projects.

4. A folding shipping box comprisin four side walls hinged together and top am bottom closures, the former including two cover flaps hinged to two opposite side walls and provided with extension flaps hinged thereto and together serving as a handle when brought into juxtaposition, and a cover flap hinged to another one of the side walls and having a central slot adjacent the juxtaposed hinge lines of said two extension flaps and through which the extension fla )8 project.

5. A foiding shipping box comprising four side walls hinged together and top and bottom closures, the former including two cover flaps hinged to two opposite side walls and provided with extension flaps hinged thereto and together serving as a handle when brought into juxtaposition, and two pairs of flaps hinged to the other two opposite side Walls, the members of each pair being separated by a central slot adjacent the juxtaposed hinge lines of said two extension flaps when folded, said pairs-of flaps being foldable upon the other flaps and the flap extensions projecting through said slot.

6. A folding shipping box comprising four side walls hinged together and top and bottom closures, the former including two cover flaps hinged to two opposite side walls and provided with extension flaps hinged thereto and having hand holes which register when brought together, and cover flaps hinged to the other side walls and arranged to provide a central transverse slot adjacent the juxtaposed hinge lines of said two extension flaps when folded, the latter cover flaps being foldable upon the others and the extension flaps projecting upwardly through said slot. 7

7. A folding shipping box comprising four side walls hinged together and top and bottom closures, the former including two cover flaps hinged to two opposite side walls and provided with extension flaps hinged thereto and together serving as a handle when brought into juxtaposition, and two pairs of flaps hinged to the other two oppoweenie site side walls, the members of each pair being separated by a central slot adjacent the juxtaposed hinge lines of said two extension flaps when folded, said pairs of flaps being foldable upon the other flaps and the flap extensions projecting through said slot, and means for holding the uppermost flaps in folded condition.

8. A folding shipping box comprising four side walls hinged together and top and bottom closures, the former including two cover flaps hinged to two opposite side walls and provided with extension flaps hinged thereto and together serving as a handle when Drought into juxtaposition, and two pairs of flaps hinged to the other two opposite side walls, the members of each pair being separated by a central slot adjacent the juxtaposed hinge lines of said two extension jfiaps when folded, said pairs of flaps being foldable upon the other flaps and the flap extensions projecting through said slot, and strips for holding the adjacent free edges of the uppermost flaps in folded condition.

EARL G. PUTTER. Witnesses:

S. E. HIBBEN, ROBERT B. DOBBERMAN. 

